Tips For Decorating Baby Rooms

By Sherrie Le Masurier

I’m an expectant mom. Can you offer up some good tips for decorating baby rooms?

When it comes to decorating baby rooms there are so many wonderful ideas you can implement to make your baby’s room extra special.

Here are some of my favorite tips for decorating baby rooms.

Decorative touches
Add personality to your baby’s nursery by using shadowbox frames and decorative shelving to display cherished playthings.

Wall murals
A wall mural is a wonderful way of creating a unique space for your baby. Paint your own or purchase a ready made one.

Clothing display
Another great tip for decorating baby rooms and a way to enhance your existing window treatments is to display favorite infant outfits on the edge of a decorative shelf installed just above the window frame or on wooden pegs that border your baby’s room.

Wall blankets
Give your baby’s nursery added personality by displaying a handcrafted baby blanket or quilt on her wall.

Furniture art
Turn an ordinary dresser into a work of art by stenciling or drawing a motif that compliments the theme of the nursery.

Room darkening shades
Traditional shades are a good choice for your baby’s window as they can be ordered in light blocking versions so you can easily darken the room at naptime.

Create a changing dresser
To save space in a small nursery, use the top of a dresser as a change table. There are a few important things to consider like making sure the top of the dresser is at a comfortable height, finding an appropriate sized changing mat, putting up some guardrails or attaching a safety harness so your baby doesn’t roll off.

Extra storage space
When decorating baby rooms it’s also wise to give some thought to how best to organize the space. Maximize the vertical space in your baby’s nursery by hanging storage units from the floor to ceiling or adding a peg rack. Where possible, incorporate colorful baskets and decorative hooks as part of your decorating scheme.

Create a room to grow
One of the best suggestions I can offer new parents is to create a room to grow. This saves a great deal of thought, planning and expense down the road. Consider all your options for decorating baby rooms before purchasing new furniture and fabrics.

Convertible Furniture
If you purchase a convertible crib you’ll also have toddler or youth bed and won’t have to purchase a single or double bed for several years. Or use a regular crib and move your child right into to a single or double bed and forgo the youth bed altogether.

Shelving
While a juvenile bookcase or shelving unit may be appealing when your child is young it will soon be outgrown. Consider instead a large but basic bookcase with durable shelves that will stand the test of time and carry your child into adulthood.

Initially the bookcase or shelving unit can be used as part of the nursery theme to highlight decor accessories and toys. Later on, the same unit can be used for reading books and favorite collections.

You’ll want to make sure that any shelving unit you select is scaled to the size of your baby’s nursery and yet is big enough to store and display all of your child’s belongings as she grows. A unit with adjustable shelves or one you can additional shelves to later on is the most ideal.

Desk
While a baby doesn’t need a workspace - toddlers and older children do. I’ve even seen some desk tops that have been creatively used as change tables. The drawers underneath can be used for storing clothes, diapers, wipes, creams and other baby essentials.

If you’ll be buying a new desk, look for one that can be raised and lowered to the appropriate height if using as a change table. Later on you can match the desk with a pint-sized chair then finally raise the surface and add a full-sized chair when she’s ready.

Or you might what to look for a change table with a flat top, storage on the sides and an open area underneath. That way it can easily be converted into a workspace later on.

Hand me down furniture
Consider hand me down furniture and re-purposing furniture from elsewhere in your home. Another great idea for decorating baby rooms would be to refurbish an old dining room buffet for use as a change table and later a dresser.

Why leave heirloom furniture to collect dust in storage when you can strip it or add a little paint and put it to good use in your baby’s nursery and later in her kid room? That said it’s important that any furniture you use is safe for your child and meets current safety standards.

Timeless fabrics
When it comes to fabrics, think time-tested plaids and florals instead of baby-oriented patterns that won’t carry your child from her nursery to her big kid room. I’m not suggesting you don’t use baby-friendly patterns only to use them selectively so they can be easily updated over the years.

Accessories
My final tip for decorating baby rooms is to use items you have from around your home like plates, old prints and paintings. As your child grows mix in some posters and larger pieces of artwork.